The Psychology of Color in Branding

Before you brand your company, it is important to understand the psychology of color and its role in branding, marketing, and sales.

So What is Color Psychology?

Color psychology is the study of color the hues and how they affect our thoughts, and thus actions.

The power and influence color has on us is often underestimated or just ignored by consumers. Designers and marketers spend hours thinking about the effect this element can have on us.

Back in the ’70s, I studied the Psychology of Color with Tom Porter, a Fellow at Oxford Brookes University, and Byron Mikellides, a professor at Oxford Brookes University. Their book the Color for Architecture was groundbreaking at that time.

Color in design permeates all things we touch and see from Architecture to packaging and websites.

The Twelve (12) Most Used Colors and the Emotions they Create

We’ve compiled a list of the twelve (12) most used colors along with emotive guidelines for each. Remember, none of these emotional responses are objectively fixed to any given color when it comes to the psychology of color, context, and culture matter.

The psychology of color influences our choices and perceptions; for example, dark red is a warning that says stop, danger. After years of signage that tells us to stop, we have become conditioned to see red as “danger,” but not all reds are dangerous.

The psychology of color influences our choices and perceptions; for example, dark red is a warning that says stop, danger. After years of signage that tells us to stop, we are conditioned to see red as danger; but not all reds are dangerous.

We have become conditioned to see RED AS DANGER and EXCITEMENT

As an example, many architects abbreviate their company names in red, SBD, or HLN; the type of hue and tone of the color combined with its vibrancy, lightness, and quantity may excite us with power passion and energy.

A red dress, a red laced teddy or chemise, excites both the wearer and the observer with sexually charged tension, with the promise of passion and the energy of sex. Yes, sex sells. Watch Mad Men or GoDaddy commercials. Red triggers stimulation, appetite, and attracts.

We associate light green with fresh, wholesome food, and produce; we are conditioned to react without even knowing why. Pavlov’s theory applied to humans; for example, if we see food eaten in a TV commercial, we feel hungry and crave food.

Use colors in branding to increase recognition and drive purchases. From youthful bold passionate reds to the cheerfuller warmth and optimism of yellow.

Finding Your Brand Color Pallet

Take a look at this chart. Use to develop your color pallet for your brand; think about the impact of color on marketing, and the importance of color in advertising.

Color Symbolism in Marketing and Design – The Psychology of Color Graphic.

Color and its use are an essential element of marketing and web design. Color, along with the images and copy, need to tell the story and create the look for the first impression. The choices you select will become your branding color scheme.

What we need to think about when creating the look of a website; different colors have different meanings – cultural, instinctual, universal, and more – and can stimulate different people in different ways.

Visitors might not notice the impact that using the right colors can have (although they might if the colors break the mold, so-to-speak), but trust me when I say; subconsciously, they will notice when the wrong ones are used.

Choosing colors for your brand and website is more than just a matter of personal preference – the choices do matter. There is a good deal of psychology that goes into making color choices that convey the right message about your business or organization.

I’m not saying that web designers should over-analyze their color choices. But they do need to keep in mind that this aspect of design can have a significant impact on a website. Web designers want to make the right recommendations to a client because, ultimately, you want to give them the best website possible.

To show you what I mean by all this, I’d like to look at the meanings that colors have, before giving you examples of what types of websites those colors are mostly found.

Please join us next week when we will look at warm Colors from rich reds to champagne pink… the impact that color has on marketing and advertising.

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Content Branding Solutions

Content Branding Solutions is a small business marketing agency that specializes in website design, graphics, social media, content marketing, SEO, Graphics and coaching for small businesses, professional practices, and independent Consultants in Denver, Colorado.